If your print jobs typically consist of text and some graphics for correspondence, reports, and other business documents, the laser printers we rank here will serve you well. The predominant resolution for these lasers is 600 dots per inch; only the under-$1000 ``personal'' lasers we ranked in this category still print 300-dpi output.
While 6- and 8-ppm print engines once were the standard for laser printers, all the products we ranked for Best Overall are rated at 10 or 12 ppm. These faster engines, when teamed with high-clock-speed processors, translate into significantly faster performance. For example, the Texas Instruments microLaser PowerPro used a 10-ppm engine and a proprietary 25-MHz processor to achieve the fastest PCL (Printer Control Language) score in
our tests. This score of 8.93 ppm is 26 percent faster than that of the Xerox 4011, which at 6.59 ppm was the speediest 8-ppm printer in this report. Similarly, HP's LaserJet printers have benefited from beefed-up engines and processors: The current 12-ppm LaserJet 4M Plus completed our PCL tests 36 percent faster than the 8-ppm 4M model it replaced.
Many of these printers are becoming easier than ever to share among workgroups. Thirteen of the laser printers we tested in this category offer an option (with costs ranging from $300 to $600) for Ethernet capabilities. Small offices can now get a network printer for significantly less than the cost of 16- to 20-ppm printers designed for larger networks. Nevertheless, large-network printers offer more in terms of speed, paper-handling capabilities, and monthly duty cycles.
Although the HP LaserJet 4M Plus won Best Overall honors, some of the runners-up are worthy of consideration, depending on your applications. For example, the speed-leading micro
Laser PowerPro isn't as fully featured as the LaserJet 4M Plus, but it costs almost $600 less. The NEC Silentwriter Superscript 610, a host-based printer without its own memory or processor, is the lowest-priced laser in our sample at $500. Although this 300-dpi printer missed our cutoff for Low Cost runners-up, it provides fast PCL speed and high quality (its performance is directly related to the computer you connect to it, so you'll see relatively faster or slower performance if you're not using a 66-MHz 486, as we did in our testing). The Apple LaserWriter Select 360 appears as a runner-up in Best Overall as well as in the Macintosh category, thanks to solid PostScript and Mac performance (6.7 and 5.88 ppm, respectively).
We also reviewed other members of HP's venerable LaserJet family. The 4-ppm LaserJet 4L is a runner-up in the Low Cost category, with the third-fastest PCL score in those rankings.
The 12-ppm Lexmark IBM LaserPrinter 4039 12R Plus placed in both the Best Overall and High Qu
ality classes. This laser printer received the second-highest usability scores of the ranked printers, thanks in part to its intuitive MarkVision Printer Utility (see the text box ``Interactive Printers'').
The Genicom Model 7610 walked away with our performance tests in our previous printer report, thanks in part to being one of the few 10-ppm printers shipping at that time. The Genicom still produced excellent performance, although its PCL and PostScript speeds are no longer category-leading. Two of the 300-dpi laser printers that we examined--the Citizen ProLaser 6000 and the Canon LBP-430--produced clear text and accurate line rendering that surpassed many of the 600-dpi laser printers that visited our labs. These printers are ranked in our Low Cost category. They cost $1000 less than some laser printers that produced less-satisfactory output.
The Lexmark IBM 4037 5E, DEClaser 5100, and LaserJet 4M Plus and 4 Plus all have an indicator on the front of the paper tray that tells you at a glanc
e how much paper remains.
We didn't publish a separate High Quality category for General Business because the rankings would have mirrored the Best Overall results.
Rankings for This Category Considered
PERFORMANCE 60%
Speed 60%
Quality 40%
FEATURES 25%
EASE OF USE 15%
Need speed, quality, and networking ease?
BEST OVERALL
HP LaserJet 4M Plus
This easy-to-use printer is a leader in the new generation of 10- to 12-ppm, 600-dpi lasers. It ran a close second to the Texas Instruments microLaser PowerPro for PCL and PostScript speed, and it led all the printers ranked here for output quality. A less-expensive version, without PostScript Level 2 or Ethernet and LocalTalk connections, sells for $1839. Both models use a 25-MHz i960 RISC processor. The 4M Plus comes standard with 6 MB of memory (the 4 Plus ships with 2 MB). Both use a bidirectional parallel port. Two tra
ys in the 4M Plus hold up to 350 sheets of paper. Total capacity with optional trays is a maximum of 850 sheets. The 4M Plus can automatically switch among enhanced PCL5 (which includes HPGL2) and PostScript. In addition, the printer can automatically switch among its I/O ports.
Speed (PPM)
PCL PostScript Mac
BEST HP LaserJet 4M Plus 8.63 8.38 7.56
RUNNER-UP TI microLaser PowerPro 8.93 9.40 8.14
RUNNER-UP Genicom Model 7610 6.92 7.20 N/A
RUNNER-UP IBM LaserPrinter 4039 12R Plus 5.53 5.86 N/A
RUNNER-UP Apple LaserWriter Select 360 N/A 6.70 5.88
Quality Features Ease
Index score of Use
BEST HP LaserJet 4M Plus 8.66 *** ****
RUNNER-UP TI microLaser PowerPro 8.15
*** ****
RUNNER-UP Genicom Model 7610 7.26 **** ****
RUNNER-UP IBM LaserPrinter 4039 12R Plus 7.79 *** ****
RUNNER-UP Apple LaserWriter Select 360 8.09 *** **
Class
Price (PPM) DPI
BEST HP LaserJet 4M Plus $2479 12 600
RUNNER-UP TI microLaser PowerPro $1899 10 600
RUNNER-UP Genicom Model 7610 $1889 10 600
RUNNER-UP IBM LaserPrinter 4039 12R Plus $2028 12 600
RUNNER-UP Apple LaserWriter Select 360 $1599 10 600
KEY
Excellent ****
Good ***
Fair **
Poor *
N/A = not applicable
For budgets under $1000
LOW COST
Citizen ProLaser 6000
If you don't need PostScript and you're on a tight budget, consider this 6-ppm laser that costs $849. Its PCL speed doesn't approach the Best Overall leaders, but
no other under-$1000 printer we ranked ran faster than the ProLaser 6000. The output quality of its 300-dpi engine was also unsurpassed in this group.
Speed (PPM)
PCL PostScript Mac
BEST Citizen ProLaser 6000 5.05 N/A N/A
RUNNER-UP HP LaserJet 4L 3.13 N/A N/A
RUNNER-UP Okidata OL 410e 3.16 N/A N/A
RUNNER-UP Digital DEClaser 1800 4.67 N/A N/A
RUNNER-UP Canon LBP-430 2.91 N/A N/A
Quality Features Ease
Index score of Use
BEST Citizen ProLaser 6000 7.92 *** ****
RUNNER-UP HP LaserJet 4L 6.49 *** ***
RUNNER-UP Okidata OL 410e 7.00 *** ****
RUNNER-UP Digital DEClaser 1800 6.
11 *** ***
RUNNER-UP Canon LBP-430 7.62 ** ***
Class
Price (PPM) DPI
BEST Citizen ProLaser 6000 $849 6 300
RUNNER-UP HP LaserJet 4L $849 4 300
RUNNER-UP Okidata OL 410e $899 4 300
RUNNER-UP Digital DEClaser 1800 $779 6 300
RUNNER-UP Canon LBP-430 $799 4 300
KEY
Excellent ****
Good ***
Fair **
Poor *
N/A = not applicable
Want a printer as easy to use as your Mac?
MAC
HP LaserJet 4M Plus
As in Best Overall, the TI microLaser PowerPro leads the field in flat-out Macintosh speed, but we chose the LaserJet 4M Plus for its print quality, ease of use, and competitive speed score. The 4M Plus comes with 35 Intellifont, 10 TrueType, and 35 PostScript typefaces. The printer
saves downloaded fonts in memory when it switches among printer languages.
Speed (PPM)
PCL PostScript Mac
BEST HP LaserJet 4M Plus 8.63 8.38 7.56
RUNNER-UP TI microLaser PowerPro 8.93 9.40 8.14
RUNNER-UP Apple LaserWriter Select 360 N/A 6.70 5.88
RUNNER-UP GCC SelectPress 600 4.20 3.90 3.97
RUNNER-UP Digital DEClaser 5100 6.03 5.21 4.15
Quality Features Ease
Index score of Use
BEST HP LaserJet 4M Plus 8.66 *** ****
RUNNER-UP TI microLaser PowerPro 8.15 *** ***
RUNNER-UP Apple LaserWriter Select 360 8.09 *** **
RUNNER-UP GCC SelectPress 600 7.95 **** ****
RUNNER-UP Digital DEClaser 5100 8.18
*** ***
Class
Price (PPM) DPI
BEST HP LaserJet 4M Plus $2479 12 600
RUNNER-UP TI microLaser PowerPro $1899 10 600
RUNNER-UP Apple LaserWriter Select 360 $1599 10 600
RUNNER-UP GCC SelectPress 600 $4499 8 600
RUNNER-UP Digital DEClaser 5100 $1599 8 1200
KEY
Excellent ****
Good ***
Fair **
Poor *
N/A = not applicable
The Best Printers For General Business
